News of the murder emerged a day after publication of the UN children’s agency, Unicef, and the Afghan ministry of labour joint report suggesting that more than one in three Afghan girls were still being married off before the age of 18.

The girl’s murder was confirmed to local media by the provincial governor, Naqibullah Amini According to the Afghan website and television channel Tolo News, the victim named Samia, was “married” to the alleged killer, named as Sharafuddin, at the age of seven to settle a debt – known as a baad. (Image above: illustration).